]]>Subaru’s 2014 Impreza and XV Crosstrek models, including the hybrid, earned a 2013 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award for good performance in each of the Institute’s crashworthiness evaluations, including the small overlap front test.

These ratings apply to both 4- and 5-door body styles of the Impreza, excluding WRX/STI, and all XV Crosstrek variations, conventionally-powered and hybrid.

Beginning with 2014 models, Subaru said it made changes to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes. Structural reinforcements, as well as changes to curtain airbag placement, have been made to both the 2014 Subaru Impreza and the XV Crosstrek. The front frame can now better absorb impact energy sustained during a small overlap front crash. The ring-shaped reinforcement frame has also been strengthened to protect against deformation in the event of a crash.

The Institute added the small overlap test to its lineup of vehicle safety evaluations last year. The test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle’s front end on the driver side strikes a five-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph.

Among the current models the Institute has rated, five Subaru models – the Forester, Legacy, Outback and now Impreza and XV Crosstrek – have earned a 2013 Top Safety Pick+ award.

For the 2013 award, winners must earn good ratings for occupant protection in four of the five evaluations and no less than acceptable in the fifth test.

“For four consecutive years, Subaru is the only automotive manufacturer with the distinction of earning IIHS Top Safety Pick awards for every model it builds,” said Institute president Adrian Lund. “Subaru deserves praise for making safety a top priority.”